View Full Version : Biggest work frustration?
While reading the thread about hardest jobs I was reminded of that classic interview question "what's the biggest frustration you have with your current job?"
For me it's an easy question: Crappy technology. I use two main proprietary computer systems at work on a day to day basis. One is 16 years old and was probably great in its day. (in fact one of the most senior people in my division came back to the company about 3 years ago after working elsewhere for a decade. She had worked here back when this system was designed/built and had thought it was great. When she first came back she was stunned to hear the derision of it now by pretty much everyone, including the CEO...) Now it's a dinosaur that has been tweaked so many times to solve problems that it's incredibly clunky. And slow.
The second is new, but was designed for too many different divisions to use, each with different electronic file needs, resulting in it being only marginally adequate for any of them. And any changes to it that would make it easier to use/more useful have to go through a committee with members from each of the divisions, which limits the amount of changes any division can get, and even then only if the other divisions will sign off on the change.
a specific staff person. She is disrespectful in tone towards me, she really has no clue what her tone is like, I have given her a LOT of slack because she just seems to be wired to not understand. Today she totally blew it with me, cause a huge mess by blowing off my authority. By the end of the day the 2 groups who looked over my work agreed it was appropriate and fair. That means there is an 8 year old without a police record! In the end I offered that we could work on moving her if she was scared enough of a child to call the police, and she said she was not really scared. She just thought that he should be expelled instead of my 2 day suspension. So now maybe the rude clueless act is really something different.
One of my greatest frustrations (I'm sure there are others) is false urgency. There are some things that need to be done for a certain deadline for a really good and obvious reason. There are other things that must be done by a certain deadline that someone just arbitrarily plucked out of thin air. Often the latter is competing for time and attention with the former, and that just irritates the hell out of me.
In my last job, it was far and away my (micro)manager. My job before that was at a company that allowed engineers a very high degree of autonomy and so to go backwards - with more experience - was very frustrating.
The biggest frustration at my workplace has, miraculously, disappeared in the past 12 months and it has to do with technology. A wide ray of sunshine is now shining into my department and it a freeking miracle, I tell you. After 20 years of growing problems and dysfunction, the bad stuff is broken and the light is here; this means REAL work is necessary in areas we've not touched for decades, and it is exciting and challenging, and am really really glad that I didn't retired in frustration 18 months ago when the dysfunction was at its peak.
In one week in late January two incredible milestones happened in my life: 1) this work thing where I now have ability to run technology that I've not even been allowed to TALK about let alone get my hands on and 2) the last construction nail went into our house.
I do not believe in alignment of the planets and that sort of thing, but I have to think that if I was charting my horoscope this eventful week should have shown up as the most significant in a decade.
Sorry, I know that this thread is supposed to be about frustrations, but things are great where I am!
I'm probably the only sane person in our company.
I LOVE my work pattern. I have no argument whatsoever with how I'm earning my living. So I'm almost afraid to let any negativity out into the universe for fear of retribution. However, my biggest frustration are clients that don't trust me to do my job--it's like me saying to a plumber, are you SURE that's the right pipe?
My second biggest frustration are clients that are all Type As and think they have to run circles around their other Type A colleagues, so meetings are filled with their blether.
My third frustration is my questions about whether marketing pharmaceutical products is Right Livelihood. Sometimes I know it is--like when I see companies on the cusp of breakthrough medications for serious illness. Sometimes I wonder--like when another lame billion-dollar lifestyle drug is close to launch
The most ridiculous thing we had was the fact we worked with up to 15-20 different computer systems with security and had different passwords and usernames for each with different change requirements. The problem was that we were constantly told to not write them down anywhere. DUH. Every single employee had a cheat sheet somewhere. (Federal government so no solution possible.)
My husband recently went back to his old employer to visit with a previous coworker. They got rid of all individual waste paper/garbage cans and only have centrally located ones. It was mandated that you could not even bring in your own. Can anyone see the issues in huge cubicle offices of this policy? (Pay the cleaners a little less but pay the higher paid employees more in wasted time walking all over multiple times a day to dispose of trash.) At least that is my take.
Oh, I forgot my last boss who wanted me to control the budget of her subordinate offices. But she would not give me past info, current info or future planning info. Yet, after the fact she would scream about me buying some lined paper. It was only one of the issues she would not work with me on while I was there.
Boy am I glad I am gone.
OMG, where to start??
I suppose the biggest continual frustration for me was the budgeting/financial approval process. We were solicited in September or October for fairly specific estimates of what we needed/wanted to spend the following year (for hardware/software, training, conferences, licensing/maintenance, etc.). Budgets typically were not approved by TPTB until February of the budget year (yeah, a month is already out of the budget, yet you couldn't spend the current budget past 12/31). Large expenditures were assigned to quarters of the year. Even though your project may have made it into the budget, though, individual requisitions still had to be justified and sent through the approval process again. And woe to you if you came up with a worthwhile purchase in the wrong quarter -- or if budgets were tight and your pet project could not be approved. That generated the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup" approach to finance: "You didn't budget for X. You budgeted for Y." "I didn't know about X last September. Okay. Well, it's smarter to spend money on X than Y. Let's spend the Y money on X." "You can't do that. Money for Y hasn't been approved for this quarter."
It's a wonder anything got purchased or paid at all....
At this point, I can't type anymore. ;)
The most ridiculous thing we had was the fact we worked with up to 15-20 different computer systems with security and had different passwords and usernames for each with different change requirements. The problem was that we were constantly told to not write them down anywhere. DUH. Every single employee had a cheat sheet somewhere. (Federal government so no solution possible.)
oh yeah, baby.
So I've got my 20+ passwords written down, and I.T. periodically reminds me that we are not to 1) write them down 2) share them
Yet when those eejits assign random numbers and I have no ability to change the username OR password, how the H*LL AM I supposed to keep from scribing them?
Oh yeah and I've been waiting 25 years to get my hands on reporting software and you (I.T. bastards!!!) actually think that I'm going to wait patiently until I get my own account? Hell to the no, I grab my subordinate's account. F*ck that chit.
There is probably a Dilbert cartoon about this, but I am psychologically unable to read Dilbert. It is way too much about the dysfunctions at my work place.
There is probably a Dilbert cartoon about this, but I am psychologically unable to read Dilbert.
http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/000000/10000/2000/700/12717/12717.strip.gif (http://search.dilbert.com/search?p=R&srid=S3-USESD02&lbc=dilbert&w=password&url=http%3a%2f%2fdilbert.com%2fstrips%2fcomic%2f19 98-04-06%2f&rk=17&uid=774609980&sid=2&ts=custom&rsc=JWI4O8G0AMtTnBq7&method=and&isort=date&view=list&filter=type%3acomic)
(Old) Microsoft error message:
Your Password Must Be at Least 18770 Characters and Cannot Repeat Any of Your Previous 30689 Passwords (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/276304?)
http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/000000/10000/2000/700/12717/12717.strip.gif (http://search.dilbert.com/search?p=R&srid=S3-USESD02&lbc=dilbert&w=password&url=http%3a%2f%2fdilbert.com%2fstrips%2fcomic%2f19 98-04-06%2f&rk=17&uid=774609980&sid=2&ts=custom&rsc=JWI4O8G0AMtTnBq7&method=and&isort=date&view=list&filter=type%3acomic)
well, I knew it! thanks for that.
I could not read Dilbert either while working. It was too true and sometimes made me cry.
During one tough work year, I still watched The Office, but at times I couldnt laugh. It was too close to my reality to be funny.
I had a tough time watching The Office while Steve Carrell was on it. I had a boss who was just like that- nothing was ever his fault, of course everyone loved him, and was endlessly fascinated with his personal drama (eye roll). Then one of the engineers stepped up to lead the group, as said manager was involved in a divorce and completely checked out. This turned out to be one of the best groups I ever worked with. After the group had success, the manager swooped in, took credit for it all, and threw the engineer under the bus.
Oh, I've got tons...
Right now, I'd have to say people who aren't self-starters, who can barely start their day without someone holding their hand and telling them exactly what to do.
Another would be people who can't follow directions after repeated explanations or consistently lose needed reference materials sent to them on email. I'm sick and tired of having to keep sending the same folks the same stuff over and over because they can't be bothered to file the email in a way which will enable them to find email reasonably quickly in the future.
SteveinMN
2-10-13, 11:41am
I'm sick and tired of having to keep sending the same folks the same stuff over and over because they can't be bothered to file the email in a way which will enable them to find email reasonably quickly in the future.
You have taught these people that they don't need to keep track of it. They can always ask you for another copy and you bail them out. I'm not sure what can be done about that that does not hurt your organization, but these folks have rightly learned that there isn't much of a penalty for not keeping track...
Okay my work frustration got better! I could type about it yesterday because the week was a freaking exhaustion. I have full support to write up my staff for insubordination!! We have been dancing this line all year, and she really crossed it and I feel great. Now I have the narrative written for support of the write up which shows 2 previous conversations related to the ultimate incident.
Short story, a kid got in trouble, she left me a one sentence behavior report on him, I felt it was appropriate to suspend him for 2 days based on it and previous behavior reports. She came in before me in the morning and decided that it wasn't good enough, went to the security guard and they called the police on the kid without calling me. He is actually below the age to file an assault charge and the incident did not warrant it. She got some sympathy from security but the fact is that I did handle it and within the guidelines of our department. So I did make sure she felt safe working with him again, and she does. And therefore ladies and gentlemen we have the bottom line, she called the police because she wanted to force me to expell him not because she felt threatened seriously. And she is busted.
Simpler at Fifty
2-10-13, 12:34pm
I have 3 but the main one is not having processes documented. We have 4 new people this year. They are being trained by the same person who is writing processes as she goes even though we knew for a year we were going to be hiring. I have asked for guidelines to be rewritten ( I wrote most of them because there were none when I started) and I am NOT a good writer. No one stepped up to write them so I wrote mostly for me. When people saw them they liked it because I include screen prints because I am a visual learner.
@zoegirl- can this person you are going to write up move to another school or program? It sounds like you two are oil and water. That is a horrible way to have to work.
Simpler, I am going to ask HR what i am allowed to say when they read the write up and give me the approval. I would like to suggest that she trade to another school even if that means I get someone with no experience. You can train a lot of things but a professional attitude and a positive outlook towards our kids and families is pretty hard to just discipline into a person. I am wondering about how she will respond, I will have a sub lined up in case she walks.
You have taught these people that they don't need to keep track of it. They can always ask you for another copy and you bail them out. I'm not sure what can be done about that that does not hurt your organization, but these folks have rightly learned that there isn't much of a penalty for not keeping track...
It's such things as the power of attorney form that the customer has to sign, granting us authority to act on their behalf for customs clearances. No power of attorney, no work done for them. The form gets updated every so often. It's MY a$$ if the correct version isn't filled out.
@zoegirl- can this person you are going to write up move to another school or program?....
How's about if this person moves to another spot outside of the workforce? As in: no job at all?
Moving problem employees within the organization is an action of weak management.
It's such things as the power of attorney form that the customer has to sign, granting us authority to act on their behalf for customs clearances. No power of attorney, no work done for them. The form gets updated every so often. It's MY a$$ if the correct version isn't filled out.
So if your coworkers mess this up, it's not their butts in a sling but yours? Do I have that right?
If I had to condense the essence of my workplace problems into just one phrase, I'd say it's the enshrinement of mediocrity. Oh, and the enabling of incompetence. So two phrases, lol
And the people I work with are asses. Hubby also works with a motley crew, but he agrees my situation is "special."
Most of us grumble about the management missteps and Orwellian anti-incentives ("You could all lose your jobs at any time, let that inspire you today") and outright chicanery that rains down on us from above - but there's no there there - no manager to report to, incompetent and partial HR staff, no advocate for the employees (our union is out to lunch too, siding automatically and blindly with management on every issue).
I don't blame the people I work with for not knowing what they're doing - it's not anyone's fault if they lack experience or whatever. But why not take some well-meaning suggestions? I'm a person who has worked at a number of other companies in my field, and I have a range of experience. My managers have only ever worked here - so their viewpoint is limited and, sometimes, wrongheaded. But try to suggest an improvement, and it's pretty much shoot the messenger.
Everybody sticks in their own little cubes, twitching with paranoia, eager to cast blame, and desperate to hold on to their few skills and never train or help anybody else. If you enlighten other people, after all, then there's another person who can do your job, making one of you redundant. Best just to hoard information.
So if your coworkers mess this up, it's not their butts in a sling but yours? Do I have that right?
I've gotten quite the talking to from corporate compliance officer recently when one of the folks in my department didn't put a document in the folder I use each day as a double check for paying duties. She had made a big mistake on the entry, it didn't show up on duties statement so they weren't paid. If she had put document in folder I would have had something to investigate why entry wasn't on statement. $19,000 penalty notice from CBP I was able to get mitigated down to several hundred. There's 1-2 folks in the department that keep not putting the document in folder as req'd. My manager had to sit the woman down who made the error. I've done as much as I can without being a total wench. I don't have authority to write people up.
This is an odd one - but right now not having a boss is driving me a bit nuts. There is an interim director but she is always sick therefore ineffective so we are all in suspended animation. The word is that our director search is starting again from zero so it might be another year before it is finally filled. I guess I shouldn't complain though. I have a beautiful private office again with a wall to wall window and a view of the entire campus. Lots of free time to catch up on organizing systems, etc... And strangely enough, a raise and promotion is supposed to happen March 1 - even without a boss.
How's about if this person moves to another spot outside of the workforce? As in: no job at all?
Moving problem employees within the organization is an action of weak management.
I would agree, I am well documented on this one and it will be up to HR rules and the overall organization's decision. We have gotten soooo much better in the last 2years so now we deal with short staff issues, and with kids and required ratios that is a serious issue. However there is a point where most of us at my level and above would rather sub on a regular basis than to try to manage a problem person. I doubt very much with issues of this type she will magically do better at another site but maybe she just needs to be given enough leeway to prove it to everyone.
If nothing else she should be on a very short notice at this point.
I am B.O.R.E.D. by my job. And by working from home. And by the non-profit sector. And by the BS that passes for a mission by most small non-profits. And by Boards who don't get fundraising. Oy vey. Looking for a new life.
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